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Roman Alphabet Calligraphy Epigraphy Font Paleography Script
#1
This is the first in a series of posts on Roman (and other) alphabets, calligraphy, epigraphy, fonts, paleography, scripts, and writing systems. This is from my somewhat out-dated bookmark file, so I'll dig up some new links & post them here. +r

Alphabet:
http://www.proel.org/alfabetos.html
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~rfradkin/alphapage.html

Calligraphy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy
http://www.asor.org/outreach/Teachers/D ... eeper1.htm
http://www.atelier-calligraphie.com/fra ... frfont.htm
http://www.cynscribe.com/
http://www.medievalwriting.50megs.com/
http://www.moorstation.org/typoasis/tbp ... roman.htm#
http://www.vaxxine.com/mikwit/lessons/index.htm

Epigraphy:
http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictect ... graphy.htm
http://asgle.classics.unc.edu/newlinks/img.html
http://curses.csad.ox.ac.uk/ (Roman Britain Curse Tablets [It's better to light a small candle than to curse the darkness...])
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigraphy
http://www.nb.no/baser/schoyen/4/4.4/443_1.html (metal inscriptions, military diplomas)
http://pompeii.virginia.edu/tti/eb-insc ... -list.html
http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp1.htm
http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp2.htm
http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp4.htm
http://www.pyrrha.demon.co.uk/oinscr1.html
http://www.pyrrha.demon.co.uk/oinscr2.html
http://www.pyrrha.demon.co.uk/oinscr3.html
http://www.romeartlover.it/Iscrizio.html

Fonts:
http://paleography.atspace.com/
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Al ... fonts2.htm
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/56 ... glish.html
http://www.historian.net/files.htm

Manuscripts/Paleography/Papyrology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Papyri
http://www.herculaneum.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/class ... ilhome.htm
http://itsee.bham.ac.uk/vetuslatina/manuscripts.htm (Late Roman)http://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.html
http://www.ext.upmc.fr/urfist/menestrel ... 0intro.htm
http://www.palaeographia.org/palaeographia.htm
http://www.unigre.it/pubblicazioni/lasala/WEB/ Confusedhock: Smile

Scripts:
http://www.osb.org/gen/robling/script.html
http://employees.csbsju.edu/roliver/scrip/

Writing Systems:
http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/guides.html
http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/writing.htm
http://www.ancientscripts.com/
http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.historian.net/hxwrite.htm
http://www.krysstal.com/writing.html
http://www.omniglot.com/
http://www.textism.com/writing/

Abbreviations/Inscriptions
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/ ... toes2.html
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/epig ... onAbbr.htm
http://dougsmith.ancients.info/abb.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_La ... reviations
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08042a.htm
http://www.roman-britain.org/latin.htm
AMDG
Wm. / *r
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#2
Very good database
http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/sonst/adw/edh/
Stefan Pop-Lazic
by a stuff demand, and personal hesitation
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#3
I want to scratch my name into some of my equipment but am unsure how to make the the letters look like true lower class soldier chicken scratches or dot punches. Whenever I have seen example of Roman hand writing it doesn't look anything like the Roman alphabet I know. It doesn't seem to me that the handwriting appears to share much in common with the chiseled type on monuments.

Any ideas?
>|P. Dominus Antonius|<
Leg XX VV
Tony Dah m

Oderint dum metuant - Cicero
Si vis pacem, para bellum - Vegetius
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#4
Quote:I want to scratch my name into some of my equipment but am unsure how to make the the letters look like true lower class soldier chicken scratches or dot punches. Whenever I have seen example of Roman hand writing it doesn't look anything like the Roman alphabet I know. It doesn't seem to me that the handwriting appears to share much in common with the chiseled type on monuments.

Any ideas?
Old & New Roman "Cursive" (handwritten) alphabets/examples at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_cursive
http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/w ... rsive.html
http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/exhibition/paleo.shtml (follow several pages starting here)
http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/tablets/TVI-4-3.shtml
http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/scrip ... etterindex

By comparing these examples with other handwriting samples, you can see variations from the examples. More in my next post here. +r

ADDED 07.03.11:

Roman Latin Alphabet Graffiti Lettering Variations:

Absolute, complete uniformity in anything Roman? Doubtful. Just as Romans were a somewhat & creative diverse lot, so were thier products.

Roman Graffit lettering is no exception, as briefly indicated on this webpage: http://www.ostia-antica.org/inter/graffiti.html

Roman Ostia graffiti lettering variation, compiled by Eric Taylor.

[Image: letters1.gif]

[Image: letters2.gif]
AMDG
Wm. / *r
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#5
Roman graffiti/graffito are another source of Roman handwriting:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=1 ... i+graffiti
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_ima ... cature.gif
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_ima ... ature4.gif

Hope these help. +r
AMDG
Wm. / *r
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#6
Quote:scratch my name into some of my equipment

I think that punching your name into the equipment is by far the most common way to mark it. I think some of the helmet DB photos on RAT show that.
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
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#7
Quote:
Quote:scratch my name into some of my equipment

I think that punching your name into the equipment is by far the most common way to mark it. I think some of the helmet DB photos on RAT show that.
Good additional info.

Quick Google search on Roman tags (metal) and curses yielded:
http://www.brandon-heritage.co.uk/curse.jpg
http://www.eriding.net/media/photos/his ... w2_042.jpg
http://faculty.luther.edu/~martinka/art ... /curse.jpg
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_ima ... tablet.jpg
http://faculty.luther.edu/~martinka/art ... /writ2.jpg
http://faculty.luther.edu/~martinka/art ... ys/dog.jpg
http://faculty.luther.edu/~martinka/art ... /writ3.jpg

These show both scratched and punched lettering. From what I've seen over the years: curses are more often scratched on softer lead and pottery pieces; but tags and most military items were in bronze and iron, and are more often more neatly punched.
AMDG
Wm. / *r
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#8
Quote:
Quote:scratch my name into some of my equipment

I think that punching your name into the equipment is by far the most common way to mark it. I think some of the helmet DB photos on RAT show that.
True but that still gets back to the question of what font would be used. Did they punch out the letters as they would be written as script?
>|P. Dominus Antonius|<
Leg XX VV
Tony Dah m

Oderint dum metuant - Cicero
Si vis pacem, para bellum - Vegetius
Reply
#9
I know this thread is almost old enough to qualify as ancient history itself, but thought this would be an appropriate place for this: It's my attempt to create a 'Roman Cursive' TrueType font (which I rather pompously dubbed 'Vindolanda'!), as that was something that seemed to be lacking from the various fonts available.

[Image: FONT.jpg]

If anyone thinks it's useable, let me know and I'll see if I can get the file to them.
Carus Andiae - David Woodall

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe..."
"What is - the Daleks?"
"No... the Romans!" - Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens
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#10
Laudes! I'd love to have a copy!
Iulia Sempronia (Sara Urdahl)
Officium ante Proprium Bonum
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#11
Righto - if you can send me a private message with your email, I'll (the god of computers permitting) send you the file.
Carus Andiae - David Woodall

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe..."
"What is - the Daleks?"
"No... the Romans!" - Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens
Reply
#12
Quote:
richsc:137plcbz Wrote:
Quote:scratch my name into some of my equipment

I think that punching your name into the equipment is by far the most common way to mark it. I think some of the helmet DB photos on RAT show that.
True but that still gets back to the question of what font would be used. Did they punch out the letters as they would be written as script?
Whoops. Lost track of your question.

Most of the few (about 20) punched examples I've seen, used block letters, e.g., the "Roman Quadrata" (aka "Square Capitals") font. This data set is too small to be reliable.

Hopefully other RAT members can provide more definitive answers.
AMDG
Wm. / *r
Reply
#13
Quote:Righto - if you can send me a private message with your email, I'll (the god of computers permitting) send you the file.

David, I was tremendously busy over the weekend, but I now have the time to compliment you on the Vindolanda font, which is excellent. I have long wanted just such an epigraphic font, but never had the time or talent to design one.

I've spent more time recreating facsimiles of the Vindolanda tablets themselves, using veneer, but having this font will be fun and useful, and I thank you most sincerely!
Iulia Sempronia (Sara Urdahl)
Officium ante Proprium Bonum
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#14
Thanks! Delighted you're pleased with it!
Carus Andiae - David Woodall

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe..."
"What is - the Daleks?"
"No... the Romans!" - Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens
Reply
#15
"Wet Canvas" website (free membership) has a nice, free calligraphy forum at:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdis...orumid=340

Although there is little discussion on Roman scripts, there is much applicable discussion about calligraphy materials and methods. 8)
AMDG
Wm. / *r
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